Cafe Affton Sports Grill & Bar

 location isn’t exactly off the beaten path. It sits along one of busiest sections of Gravois Road in an unassuming brick storefront that could easily be  overlooked. But slow down, stop and try this retro roadhouse with community pride reflected in the menu.

Burgers and sandwiches are named in honor of area schools. The Affton Cheddar Bacon Burger and the Cor Jesu Patty Melt (both $7.99) are burger favorites. The sandwich lineup includes the Vianney Griffin Triple Decker Club ($8.49), the St. Mary’s Steak Sammie ($9.99) and the Lutheran South Café Gerber (an open-faced toasted ham and cheese sandwich on garlic French bread priced at $7.49). My alma mater, Mehlville, didn't make the menu cut, but my parish did, with the St. Catherine Laboure Pork Tenderloin Sandwich.

Other house specialties include Café Sliders—notably the BBQ Pulled Pork Minis, covered in extra sharp cheddar and onion straws. The homemade pizza is tasty, and Cafe Affton offers a pie I've yet to find anywhere else in the world: the Chicken Modiga pizza, with ingredients including chicken, mushrooms, bacon, provel and modiga sauce.

Appetizers, soups, salads and pastas, along with half a dozen entrées range from $6.99 for Toasted Ravioli to $14.99 for Beef Spiedini. Add in nightly dinner specials along with bar specials featuring hometown Anheuser-Busch brews from Pestalozzi Street. Cafe Affton ensures  no one will leave hungry or thirsty 

Cafe Affton is located at 8713 Gravois Road. Call 314-457-8000 or visit www.cafeaffton.com.